If it’s true that life is a journey, then the most important voyage we know of is the one that takes you back to you.
This holiday season, we want to encourage you to take time for yourself. Yes, there is a lot of pressure to spend time with family and with friends, but as your coaches we strongly recommend that you plan some time for yourself that is unencumbered by the demands of life. Time to relax, reflect, work out, read a book, or do absolutely nothing.
You see, when you take time for yourself, you are less likely to be triggered by the events going on around you. When you’ve taken time for yourself, it’s easier to show up at your best and engage with others in a way that leaves you feeling proud of yourself.
Remember, Thanksgiving was historically about gratitude, and the generosity of a few that saved the lives of many. This year, we hope that you will practice generosity toward yourself and in turn find a small way to commit a generous act for another. It doesn’t have to be much, just something that makes you feel good about yourself.
For example, one woman we know is ladling soup that morning at the soup kitchen, another person we know is fasting the day before Thanksgiving and is donating the money he would have spent on food to the food bank, still another is donating kibble to an animal shelter to support the four-legged creatures who don’t have a home, and another has bought $5 gift cards for Subway and will hand them out over the season to the homeless men and women she encounters at stoplights. The goal is to do something that reminds you that in a single act, your generosity makes a difference in your life and in the life of another.
Life is a one way journey—what happened yesterday, last week, or twenty years ago is no longer in anyone’s control; the only thing you can control is how you show up to your life today. Don’t waste time wishing you had taken a left turn 20 years ago; instead, do what you have to do now to have the future that brings out the best you possible. Remember, you’ve got your team here at CSC cheering you on!